Hundreds of rockets fired from Gaza at southern Israel amid renewed tensions

Hundreds of rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel on Monday amid renewed tensions following the death of an Israeli special-forces soldier earlier in the day.

According to the Israeli Defense Forces, more than 300 rockets have been fired from Gaza, with the Iron Dome missile-defense system intercepting several dozen of them, while others have struck Israeli homes and buildings near the border, or have landed in open areas.

In response, the Israel Defense Forces said it has hit 20-plus Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, including terror compounds, observation posts and rocket-launching squads.

Early reports indicate that several Israelis have been injured as a result of the rocket fire. According to United Hatzalah, 10 people have been treated by medical volunteers in Sderot and the Sha’ar HaNegev region due to injuries relating to the rocket fire from Gaza.

“One young girl was also treated by our volunteers after her finger was partially cut off by a door in a secure room when it was slammed shut,” according to United Hatzalah. “Our volunteers are running from emergency to emergency due to the high volume of calls from people suffering injuries or emotional shock as a result of the rocket fire and the resulting air-raid sirens.”

The latest barrage of rockets comes following the death of an Israeli special-forces soldier who was killed during a covert mission in the Gaza Strip during the late Sunday night/early Monday morning hours. The soldier, identified only as Lt. Col. M., was purportedly on an intelligence-gathering mission that went awry.

The IDF stressed that the mission was not intended to kidnap or assassinate any Hamas targets.

At the same time, the flare up along Gaza also comes just after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reportedly reached through Egyptian and Qatari-backed negotiations.